Furuno Electric Sponsors Masatomo Suzuki for Vendee Globe 2028
The sponsorship provides critical technical support and funding for Suzuki's campaign, which he has pursued despite insufficient resources, and ties Furuno's brand to a high-profile solo ocean racing challenge.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. has signed a sponsorship agreement with the MILAI Sailing Team, supporting skipper Masatomo Suzuki's bid to become the second Japanese person to complete the Vendée Globe, a solo non-stop around-the-world race. The company will supply marine electronics including radar, displays, and navigation software. Suzuki will race under the team name MILAI - FURUNO in the 2026 Route du Rhum to qualify for the 2028 Vendée Globe.
Furuno Electric will supply a suite of marine electronics for Suzuki's 60-foot IMOCA60 yacht MILAI 22, including the NavNet TZtouchXL multifunction display, DRS2D-NXT radar sensor with Target Analyzer and Fast Target Tracking functions, IP camera, GPS navigation device, NMEA data converter, and TZ Professional navigation software. The software integrates camera, radar, and AIS data into an AR navigation system developed with French partner MaxSea Naval S.L. Suzuki, who previously raced the Mini Transat and Globe 40 with Furuno support, now aims for the Vendée Globe, held every four years. The 2028 edition would mark only the second Japanese completion of the race.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.